Thursday, July 23, 2009

The state government has decided to convert three corporations and one city as solar cities, utilizing the assistance provided by theCentre, said power minister K S Eswarappa.

Talking to media at Shimoga, he said, Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad corporations and Shimoga city municipal council will utilize only solar powerinstead of conventional power to run street lights, drinking water supply and for all government buildings' utility.The project will help to save the demand for conventional power in these four cities and promote the utility of the non-conventional energy. He said the Union government has given its consent to share 40% of total expenditure incurred for implementing this project.

Expressing happiness over the rainfall in the state from the past 10 days, which has raised the water level at reservoirs and has helped to tide over the immediate power crisis, the minister said, as per the Met department, rains during the remaining part of this month will certainly fill the reservoirs to the brim.

With good inflow of water to Almatti Dam, the minister said, power generation has started and the state government has appealed to the Union government to accord its final approval by holding a tripartite talk with Tamil Nadu regarding the permission to start a 270 mw power generation unit at Shivanasamudra.